Awesome weather, great fishing and beautiful scenery with the blooming plants and flowers! Now is a great time to Visit Brainerd!

Brained, MN— We’re catching walleyes, crappies, northern pike, bass and Inland trout!

Walleyes

  • Locations: Sand flats, developing weeds and rock transitions
  • Depth: 8–18 feet
  • Tactics: Target walleyes by casting a 1/8 ounce Lindy Live Bait jig and shiner minnow and making bottom contact, short hops and slow lifts have been the go-to. Pitching/jerking or longline trolling the Smithwick Perfect 10 has been catching quality fish. Also casting a 1/4 ounce jig with a Mister Twister Sassy Swimmer has been producing quality fish.

Northern Pike

  • Locations: Weedy bays, weed lines, weed flats
  • Depth: 6–15 feet
  • Tactics: Trolling or casting Mepps Aglias, Smithwick Perfect 10s or Willow blades spinnerbaits produces quality northern pike with good numbers of fish in shallow weeds. Use a 60+ pound fluorocarbon leader or metal leader to avoid bite-offs

Blugills & Sunfish

  • Locations: Edges of weedy bays, weedlines, holes in bays
  • Depth: Weed lines, bays or weed flats (2–10 feet)
    Tactics: 1/32 ounce Frostee Spoon or 5 millimeter Tungsten jig/red spike jigging near weeds one foot from bottom or just above weeds. Try a 1/16 ounce Lindy Frostee Spoon for a 1–2 sunfish/crappie punch under a slip float. Sunnies are also hitting a Lindy Lil Nipper tipped with a wax worm.

Crappies

  • Locations: Bays on inside or outside edges of weed lines or in holes, green cabbage/weed beds adjacent to holes or deep water near a bay, or suspended in the basin nearby, channels, docks, trees in water.
  • Depth: 2–10 feet or 15–25 feet (suspended depth over basin/hole areas at that same depth)
  • Tactics: 1/16 ounce Lindy Quiver spoons or Frostee Spoon tipped with wax worms; 7 millimeter Tungsten jig/Mister Twister Sassy Stingum under a Thill slip float. The schools tend to roam, so fan casting is a good idea. Look for warmest water and work from there.

If you’re wondering where and how to fish, tune in to Visit Brainerd for weekly fishing reports by Hawg Hunterz Guide Service LLC! As always, have fun, stay safe and Happy Hawg Hunting!! Learn more about Hawg Hunterz Guide Service HERE.

Plan your fishing trip to Brainerd today. Find excellent in-town hotels and visit one or more of the 400+ lakes in Crow Wing County and the Brainerd Lakes Area for an incredible multi-species fishing experience.